
Jesus was the victim. "The wonderful symbol of the living bird dipped
in the blood of the bird slain and then set free to its joyous life, is to us the
symbol of the atonement. There were death and life blended, presenting to
the searcher for the truth the hidden treasure, the union of the pardoning
blood with the resurrection and life of our Redeemer. The bird slain was
over living water, that flowing stream was a symbol of the ever flowing,
ever cleansing efficacy of the blood of Christ, the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world, the fountain that was open for Judah and
Jerusalem, wherein they may wash and be clean from every stain of sin.
We are to have free access to the atoning blood of Christ. This we must
regard as the most precious privilege, the greatest blessing, ever granted to
sinful man. And how little is made of this great gift! How deep, how wide
and continuous is this stream! To every soul thirsting after holiness there is
repose, there is rest, there is the quickening influence of the Holy Spirit,
and then the holy, happy, peaceful walk and precious communion with
Christ. Then, oh, then, can we intelligently say with John, 'Behold the
Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world' "—Ellen G. White
comments,
SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p.
1111.
14. Ultimately, what alone can cleanse us sinners from the contamina-
tion of sin? In reaching out to accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour
and Lord we find a fundamental action taking place in our inner
selves. What is this? 2 Cor. 5:17.
Transformation requires re-creation. "To transform a lost sinner into
a 'new creature' requires the same creative energy that originally brought
forth life . . . . It is a supernatural operation, altogether foreign to normal
human experience.
"This new nature is not the product of moral virtue presumed by some
to be inherent in man, and requiring only growth and expression. There are
thousands of so-called moral men who make no profession of being Chris-
tians, and who are not 'new' creatures. The new nature is not merely the
product of a desire, or even of a resolution, to do right (Rom. 7:15-18), of
mental assent to certain doctrines, of an exchange of one set of opinions or
feelings for another, or even of sorrow from sin. It is the result of the
presence of a supernatural element introduced into a man, which results in
his dying to sin and being born again. Thus are we created anew in the
likeness of Christ, adopted as sons and daughters of God, and set on a new
path."—SDA
Bible Commentary,
vol. 6, pp. 868, 869.
There is no experience written in the Old Testament of a healed leper
participating in the cleansing rites of the Levitical system. The Gospels
portray Christ's compassion on such persons. He was careful to uphold the
Mosaic instructions (after healing them) by sending them off to the priests
to begin the process of re-entering society. (See Matt. 8:1-4.)
When the sinner sees the perfect character of God, he sees also the
defilement which sin has brought upon him. He must turn to see Jesus, in
His perfection, seeking to cleanse and make whole the willing heart.
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